Charter (2026)

Establishment and Character of the Union
1. Name
  1. The Union shall be known as the “International Union for Cooperation and Communities”, or the “IUCC”.
  2. The name of the Union may be changed upon a successful Type B vote of the Union Chamber and the Delegates’ Chamber.
2. Purpose
  1. The Union shall exist to promote cooperation and collaboration among Member States, their governments and their communities, as well as promote equality, environmentalism and peace.
3. Organisation
  1. The Union shall consist of four main ‘Parts’: the Custodian, the Chambers, the Presidency and the Union Court.
The Custodian of the Union
1. Responsibilities of the Custodian
  1. The Custodian of the Union shall be responsible for managing key infrastructure that provides for the functioning of the Union, as well as acting as a party of last resort in the case of a lack of leadership in the Presidency.
2. Immediate Appointment of Custodians
  1. The Hokorian State shall, upon ratifying the Serenia Treaty, appoint an individual as Custodian.
  2. The Unitary Republic of Curnon shall, upon ratifying the Serenia Treaty, appoint an individual as Deputy Custodian.
3. Later Appointment of Custodians
  1. Upon the resignation of, or upon the appointing state’s withdrawal from the Union, a new Custodian or Deputy Custodian shall be appointed in their place.
  2. The Delegates’ Chamber shall nominate a member state as appointing state. The appointing state shall appoint an individual to fill the relevant position.
4. Removal of a Custodian
  1. A Custodian or Deputy Custodian shall be removed upon their resignation, upon their appointing state withdrawing from the Union or upon a successful Type B vote of the Delegates’ Chamber.
The Chambers
1. The Union Chamber
  1. Purpose
    1. The Union Chamber shall be the chamber responsible for electing the Presidency, holding the Presidency to account as well as legislating across the Union.
  2. Membership
    1. The Chamber shall consist of both elected and appointed Councillors, with the President of the Union presiding over the Chamber.
    2. Where a nation has less than twenty-one citizens, the government may nominate one citizen as a Councillor.
    3. Where a nation has between twenty-one and sixty citizens, an election shall be held to elect one citizen as a Councillor.
    4. Where a nation has between sixty-one and eighty-five citizens, an election shall be held to elect two citizens as Councillors.
    5. Where a nation has over eighty-five citizens, an election shall be held to elect three citizens as Councillors.
    6. A Councillor shall be removed from their seat if their nation withdraws from, or is removed from, the Union.
    7. A Councillor may be removed from their seat by a successful Type B vote of the Union Chamber. Only one vote to remove a Councillor may be held per Councillor, each term.
  3. Electoral Procedure
    1. Elections for the Union Chamber shall be held within thirty days of a member state’s accession to the Union, except where a regular Union Chamber election is scheduled to take place within two months, or upon a regular Union Chamber election.
    2. Where a member state’s accession is within two months of a regular Union Chamber election, an election shall not take place until the regular Union Chamber election. The member state’s government shall instead nominate one citizen as a Councillor.
    3. Elections for the Union Chamber shall be the responsibility of the member state’s government, and must be held in accordance with this Charter and relevant Union law.
    4. Candidates shall be citizens of the member state they are running in, and shall not be running in any other Union Chamber election.
    5. Upon successful election and upon the results being forwarded to the Presidency by a returning officer, all necessary appointments shall be made.
    6. Where a seat in the Union Chamber becomes vacant, it shall be filled within one month through a by-election. A by-election shall not be held where it is within two months of a regular Union Chamber election, the seat should remain vacant until filled in the next regular Union Chamber election.
    7. Regular Union Chamber elections shall take place every six months. Councillors shall serve until the following regular election unless removed or resigned earlier.
    8. A Councillor’s seat may be contested during their term where forty percent of their state’s citizens petition for their seat to be contested in an early election. A seat may be contested only once during a term, from election to within two months of a regular Union Chamber election.
  4. Sessions
    1. Regular sessions shall be held at a time convenient for Councillors and the President.
    2. At least thirty percent of Councillors, as well as the President or a Secretariat, must declare their attendance within ten minutes of the session for the session to start.
    3. If a session fails to start within ten minutes, it shall be rescheduled.
    4. Sessions shall last no longer than twenty-four hours and must always be presided over by the President or a Secretariat.
    5. A session must be held at least once every three weeks.
    6. A recess may be held upon a successful Type A vote of the Union Chamber. During a recess period, a session is not required to take place. A recess shall last no longer than one month and may not be held within three months of each other.
    7. The President may recall the Union Chamber during a recess for an emergency session.
  5. Legislating
    1. Any Councillor may propose a Bill to the Union Chamber by sending it to the President of the Union and informing them that they wish for it to be proposed at the next session, where it is backed by two other Councillors.
    2. The President of the Union shall allow for the Bill to be properly considered by Councillors in the next session of the Union Chamber.
    3. A Bill shall be voted upon at the end of the session, except where it is withdrawn by the proposing Councillor before the end of the session.
    4. Voting shall take place for twenty-four hours after the session ends, with members voting either “In favour” or “Against”. Any member who does not vote shall be recorded as absent from voting.
    5. Upon a Bill passing, it shall be moved along to the Delegates’ Chamber.
  6. Voting
    1. A “Type A” vote shall require over fifty percent of all Councillors to vote in favour, in order for it to pass.
    2. A “Type B” vote shall require seventy-five percent of all Councillors to vote in favour, in order for it to pass.
2. The Delegates’ Chamber
  1. Purpose
    1. The Delegates’ Chamber shall be responsible for representing member state governments to the Union, working with the President.
  2. Membership
    1. The Chamber shall consist of one Delegate for each member nation, appointed by the member nation’s government.
    2. Each Delegate may only represent one member nation.
    3. A Delegate shall immediately cease to hold office upon their member nation leaving or being removed from the Union.
  3. Sessions
    1. The Delegates’ Chamber shall always be in session, presided over by the President and Secretariats.
    2. Delegates, the President and Secretariats are not required to always be present, and there shall be no requirements for attendance.
  4. Legislating
    1. Upon a Bill passing in the Union Chamber, Delegates shall consider it and vote on it within forty-eight hours of it passing in the Union Chamber.
    2. Voting shall take place for twenty-four hours, with Delegates voting either “In favour” or “Against”. Any Delegate who does not vote shall be recorded as absent from voting.
    3. Upon a Bill passing, the President shall appoint a date within two months for it to come into force. The Bill shall become Union law and be in force from 00:00 at UTC 0 on that date.
  5. Voting
    1. A “Type A” vote shall require over fifty percent of all present Delegates to vote in favour, in order for it to pass.
    2. A “Type B” vote shall require seventy-five percent of all present Delegates to vote in favour, in order for it to pass.
    3. A delegate shall only be considered present where they vote.
The Presidency
1. The President of the Union
  1. Officeholder
    1. The President of the Union shall be a sitting Councillor elected by a successful Type A vote of the Union Chamber.
    2. The President shall serve a term matching the term of the Union Chamber that elected them.
  2. Presidency Election
    1. Presidency elections shall take place within seven days of the appointment of all Councillors to the Union Chamber.
    2. During a Presidency election, all Councillors shall nominate one other Councillor to serve as President. The candidate with the least number of nominations shall be eliminated until one Councillor is elected.
  3. Removal of a President
    1. A President shall immediately lose their office upon losing their seat in the Union Chamber, upon their member state withdrawing from the Union, or after a Type B vote of the Union Chamber.
    2. Upon the removal or resignation of a President, a Presidency election shall take place within seven days, except where the Union Chamber is in recess.
  4. Strategy, Policy and Directives
    1. The President shall set out the Presidency’s strategy and policy for their term.
    2. The President may issue directives that align with the Presidency’s strategy and policy, in accordance with Union law, which must be followed by all member nations.
    3. Directives must be clear and member nations shall be given a reasonable amount of time to follow directives.
  5. Establishment of Secretariats and Appointment of Secretaries
    1. The President may establish and dissolve Secretariats which are responsible for specific functions of the Presidency.
    2. Secretariats shall be led by a Secretary who shall be a citizen of a member state. Secretaries shall be appointed and dismissed by the President.
    3. A Secretary shall immediately vacate their office if their member nation withdraws from, or is removed from, the Union.
    4. Secretaries shall be responsible for overseeing the Secretariat and executing powers as delegated by the President.
    5. The President shall set out the line of authority, which shall set out who takes over the President’s powers and duties in the case of their removal or unavailability.
2. Responsibilities
  1. The Presidency shall be responsible for ensuring that this Charter is followed, for setting out directives in accordance with the President’s strategy and policy and for representing the Union to external states and other international organisations.
  2. The Presidency shall be responsible for communicating and engaging with the public, through cooperation with member states and other direct forms of communication.
  3. The Presidency shall be responsible for signing agreements, treaties, conventions and contracts on behalf of the Union, in accordance with Union law. The Presidency may not act on behalf of member states.
  4. The Presidency shall be responsible for creating and overseeing programmes which can directly engage with member citizens, member nation governments, external state governments and other international organisations.
  5. The Presidency may be given a budget by the Union Chamber and shall be responsible for handling any given budget responsibly and in accordance with Union law.
Membership
1. Requirements
  1. Any state seeking to become a member must be able to fulfill its obligations to fill seats in the Union Chamber and Delegates’ Chamber, must have been formally established at least four months before its application and must meet the definition of a state in accordance with the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States.
2. Application Process
  1. In order to become a member, the state’s government must submit a formal application to the Presidency. The application format and questions shall be set out by Union law.
  2. Any provided number of the state’s citizens should be in accordance with the definition of a citizen in the Edgbaston Convention.
  3. Newly submitted applications shall be proposed by the President at the next session of the Union Chamber. The Presidency may executively refuse an application where they do not meet the requirements under this Charter and where it believes that the Union Chamber is highly unlikely to support the application.
  4. Upon a successful Type A vote on the application by the Union Chamber and Delegates’ Chamber, the applicant state shall become a member.
  5. The Presidency shall inform the applicant state’s government of their new obligations under Union law and directives. New member state governments shall be given a reasonable amount of time to comply with Union law and directives.
3. Withdrawal Process
  1. A member nation government may withdraw its state from the Union by giving seven days notice to the Presidency.
  2. The Presidency shall make all necessary withdrawal arrangements and preparations.
  3. The withdrawing nation shall remain a member for seven days after submitting notice to the Presidency. Upon withdrawal, the nation shall cease to have membership of the Union.
4. Suspension and Removal Process
  1. A member nation may be suspended after a successful Type A vote of the Union Chamber and the Delegates’ Chamber.
  2. A member nation may be removed after a successful Type B vote of the Union Chamber and a successful Type B vote of the Delegates’ Chamber.
  3. Suspension and removal shall be immediate, except where the Presidency implements a seven day transitional period.
  4. Upon suspension, the member nation shall not be permitted to participate in programmes and its Delegate shall cease to be permitted to vote in Delegates’ Chamber votes.
  5. Upon removal, the nation shall cease to have membership of the Union.
The Union Court
1. Establishment and Appointment of Justices
  1. The Union Court shall be the judicial organ of the Union, tasked with interpreting and enforcing this Charter, Union law and Presidential directives. The Court shall not have jurisdiction over domestic national laws or external international legal frameworks.
  2. The Court shall consist of Union Justices appointed by a Type A vote of the Delegates’ Chamber upon nomination by a member state.
  3. There shall be no limit on the total number of Justices appointed to the Union Court.
  4. Justices must be citizens of a member state and shall not simultaneously serve as a Councillor, Delegate, President or Secretary.
  5. Justices shall serve a term of twelve months and may be reappointed.
2. Jurisdiction and Case Procedure
  1. Legal actions before the Union Court may be brought by:
    1. The Presidency against one or more member states.
    2. A member state against the Presidency.
    3. A member state against another member state.
    4. A Councillor or Delegate alleging a violation of this Charter or Union law.
  2. Every case brought to the Court shall be presided over by a panel comprising a set number of three Union Justices, selected by rotation or mutual agreement of the parties.
  3. Decisions of the panel shall be taken by majority vote. Rulings of the Union Court shall be final, binding and unappealable across all member states and Union organs.
3. Removal and Vacancies
  1. A Justice shall immediately cease to hold office upon their resignation, or automatically upon their nominating member state withdrawing from or being removed from the Union.
  2. A Justice may be removed from office prior to the expiration of their term upon a successful Type B vote of the Delegates’ Chamber for misconduct or failure to perform their duties.
Financial Framework
1. Budgetary Process
  1. The Presidency shall draft and present an annual budget proposal to the Union Chamber at least thirty days before the start of the financial year.
  2. The Union Chamber must approve or amend the budget by a successful Type A vote.
  3. Member States shall contribute to the Union budget as determined by Union law.
Amendments to the Charter
1. Amendment Procedure
  1. Any Councillor or Delegate may propose an amendment to this Charter.
  2. Amendments shall require a successful Type B vote of the Union Chamber followed by a successful Type B vote of the Delegates’ Chamber.

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